Swivel cord connecter



Mffcones W. F. JONES SWIVEL CORD CONNECTER Filed Feb. ll, 1952 May 8, 1934.

Patented May 8, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to connections for electric wires and more particularly to a connection of the swivel or limited universal joint type.

An object of this invention is to provide a swivel connection for electric wires which can be used in connection with an insertible plug or used in an electric wire intermediate the ends thereof and at a point where the wire usually becomes twisted so as to prevent breaking of the wire and at the same time permit turning of one portion of the wire relative to the other without breaking the electrical connection.

A further object of this invention is to provide a swivel connectio-n of this type which is so constructed that there will be no exposed metal parts so that contact with the bare wire or metal will not produce a shock or short circuit the two wires within the device.

The above and various other objects and advantages of this invention will in part be described in and in part be understood from the following detailed description of the present preerred embodiment, the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:-

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section taken substantially through the longitudinal center of a device constructed according to the preferred embodiment of this invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section taken substantially through the center of a modied form of this invention.

Referring to the drawing wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10 designates generally a base or body member which is constructed in one piece, this base being constructed of non-conducting material and is provided with projecting prongs or plug members 11 and 12. These members 11 and 12 are adapted to be ins-erted in a conventional socket member such as a baseboard socket or an insertible plug member which may be removably positioned in a conventional light socket. This base 10 is provided with a substantially spherical shaped recess 14 which opens through one end of the base and preferably the end oppositely from the prongs or plug members 11 and 12, and a substantially spherical shaped member 15 is adapted to loosely engage in the recess 14 and has a rotary movement which in one direction is limited by means of an extension 29 carried by the base 10 which extends inwardly of the recess 14.

This concave-convex member l5 has a body portion 16 formed therewith and this body 16 is provided with a bore 17 within which an end portion of a wire W is received. The concavo-con- Vex ball member 15 is provided with a spherical contact member 18 which is of metal construction and is secured to an extension 19 formed with the body 16 and a wire 20 connects one wire of the wire W with the spherical contact 18. Another Wire 21 of this conduit or connection W is connected to a concavo-convex contact member 23 which is xedly secured to the concave portion of the ball member 15 and the convex portion of this contact member 23 slidably engages a concavo-convex contact member 24 carried by the base 10 and secured to the prong 12 by means of a wire 25.

An insulating member 26 is interposed between the contact member 24 and a contact member 27 of concavo-convex construction which is connected by means of a wire 28 to the prong 1l. This inner contact member 27 slidably engages the periphery or outer surface of the ball 18 and forms an electrical connection between this member 18 and the prong 11. The prong 12 is electrically connected to the wire 21 by means of the contact member 24 which engages the contact member 23 carried by the body 16.

As shown in Figure 4, the swivel connection of the base member 10' with the body member 16 is similar and the component parts of this swivel connection have been designated by similar numerals and it is believed that further description thereof is unnecessary.

The body 10 is provided with a threaded member 30 about which a, protecting sleeve 31 is positioned. The two strands of wire are received in apertures 32 and 33 provided in the sleeve 3l and one of these strands of wire is secured to the connection 25 and the other secured to the connection 28 so that an electrical connection will be provided between the strands of Wire 34. The body 16 is provided with peripheral threads 35 and a sleeve member 36 is threadably mounted thereon and this sleeve 36 is provided with apertures 37 and 38 for receiving the end portions of a double strand of wire W. One strand of wire is connected to the wire connection 20 and the other connected to the wire 21'. In this manner, a continuous connection is formed between the wire 34 and the wire W.

The insulation 26 is of relatively flexible construction and the insulation 15 has initially a degree of flexibility so as to permit the insertion of the contact member 23 therein, this being accomplished while the insulating material is still in the plastic state and prior to hardening thereof. This Contact member 23, as well as the ball member 15, are constructed substantially larger than a hemisphere but smaller than a sphere so that a limited lateral swinging movement of the body 16 relative to the base 10 will be permitted while at the same time a complete rotation axially of the body 16 will be permitted relative to the base 10. In like manner, the base contacts 24 and 27 are constructed substantially larger than a hemisphere but smaller than a sphere, and the edge portions of these contacts, as Well as the edge portions of the insulation 26, engage against the axial abutment 19 which limits the lateral movement of the body 16, this movement also being limited by means of the extension or abutment 29.

In the use of this device, the parts are assembled partly by pre-forming of the inner parts and partly by molding or forming the outer insulation during assembly of the device. It will be obvious that the swivel connection herein disclosed will have a substantially universal movement so that when it is connected to a wire, the end of the wire connected thereto will not become broken or twisted by reason of the twisting or turning of the wire in the use thereof.

In actual practice, the body 16 is permitted to have lateral swinging movement relative to the base 10 for a distance of approximately 45 on each side of the longitudinal center of the base 10 whereas the member 16 is permitted to have free rotation axially of the member 10, this axial movement being also permitted in any lateral position of the member 16 relative to the base l0.

It is, of course, understood that various changes and modications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claim.

What is claimed is:-

A swivel connection as set forth comprising two members movable both swingably and rotatably relative to each other, one of said members being constructed in two parts, each of said parts having a reduced threaded shank, a sleeve threadably engaging each of the shanks of said parts to maintain the parts in contacting relation, said one member having a substantially spherical insulated socket opening through the end oppositely from said Shanks, a pair of concavo-convex contacts carried by said one member inwardly of the inner surface of the socket, an insulating member disposed between said contacts, a substantially spherical insulated head carried by the other of said members and slidably engaging the socket, a substantially concave-convex contact engaging the inner surface of said head and contacting with the convex surface of the outermost of said iirst pair of contacts, and a spherical contact carried by said head inwardly of said latter concavoconvex contact and engaging the concave surface of the innermost of said rst pair of contacts.

WILLIS F. JONES. 

